Star Wars: Obi
by leandar
Summary: The Mustafar duel and end of Episode III from the point of view of ObiWan Kenobi.


**Obi.**

_A look at the Mustafar duel and the end of Episode III from the point of view of Obi-Wan Kenobi._

_The ship has landed. I wait a few moments for her to walk past and down the ramp. I wave my hand and the door opens. I walk slowly towards the ramp. I don't want to cause difficulty, she's in enough danger as it is but I must be prepared for anything. I can't allow her to be put in any more danger. I get to the top of the ramp and she is pleading with him:_

"...because of what you've done! What you plan to do! Stop! Come back!..."

_He's seen me._

"...I love you."

"**LIAR!**" _I wouldn't have thought such rage and hate could come from inside of him. _

_She turns and sees me standing on the ramp. She didn't know I was here. Stars Anakin, let her be!_

"No!" _is all she can say, completely shocked to see me._

_The hate in his eyes and voice is palpable. The tension so thick I think I could slice through it with my lightsaber. _

"You're with him! You brought him here to kill me!" 

_He then does what I would have thought to be completely impossible. He raises his hand and instead of trying to attack me, as I would have expected, he begins to choke her with the Force, strangling the life out of the one he's supposed to love and she who bears his child. What is he doing? I have to do something!  
_  
"Let her go, Anakin." _He ignores me and continues choking her. She'll die in a few moments if he doesn't stop._

"**Let...her...go!**" _as angrily as I can muster._

_Just before she would die, he finally releases her and she collapses on the ground. He turns to look at me. He looks like a wild animal with those eyes._

"You turned her against me!"

_What do I say? I have to stop him._ "You have done that yourself!"

_He takes off his robe, not taking his eyes off of me.   
_

"You will not take her from me!"

_What does he think? That I want Padme for my own? Stars, I would never do that! I only hope that somehow he'll listen to reason._

"Your anger and your lust for power have already done that. You have allowed this Dark Lord to twist your mind until now..." _Yes, he is a monster. _ "...until now you have become the very thing you swore to destroy."

_Anakin isn't fazed. I don't think he thinks he's doing wrong._

"Don't lecture me, Obi-Wan. I see through the lies of the Jedi." _I've heard that one before._ "I do not fear the dark side as you do..."

_I don't fear it Anakin. I think myself smart enough not to fall for the lies of the Sith. Yes you have power but at what price? I kneel down to check on Padme, yes she still has a pulse. Good. Then there is still a chance. I stand up and look at Anakin, his back is to me and he keeps talking. Acting like the hero. Huh. Some hero._

"...I have brought peace, justice, freedom and security to my new Empire!"

_Did he just say his Empire? He's already plotting the overthrow of Palpatine and installing himself as Emperor._

_I don't know what to think._ "_Your _new Empire?"

_Anakin keeps his back turned. It would be so easy to stab him through the back. But alas, that's not the Jedi way. I can feel the anger burning in him._

"Don't make me kill you."

_I can't go along. I have to remind him._ "Anakin, my allegiance is to the Republic, to _democracy_!"

"If you're not with me, then you're my enemy!"

_Oh Force, he's gone. Beyond reach. He's fully turned. I know what I must do_. 

"Only a sith deals in absolutes. I will do what I must."

"You will try." _ He says with complete arrogance._

_I ignite my saber and assume a ready position. He turns his on and leaps backward right at me. We start fighting. I taught him well. He knows all my techniques. Stars, he's fast. I haven't fought this hard or fast since that Zabrak sithlord on Naboo. I'm close to the edge, I have to do something. _

_I turn, and find a boot in my face for my trouble. Fortunately I can jump with it so it didn't hurt so bad. I have to keep the defense up as we enter the building. It's littered with bodies. The Separatist leaders, I imagine. Sidious probably sent Anakin here to kill them now that the war is over and he has what he wants. Sounds like something a Sith Master would do. _

_I can't get an advantage. But fortunately, neither can he. We're an even match. We know what the other will do, right up to the Force push we just both tried to do and end up shoving each other to opposite sides of the room. Oh, here he comes again! I have to get out of this room, get outside where there'll be more room to maneuver._

...(a short time later)...

_Floating down the lava on the head of a carrier droid, I watched as Anakin appeared to be consumed by the ledge getting pulled down into the lava. But I didn't feel him die...wait. There he is. He's coming right back toward me. He landed on an even smaller droid. I can't help but be impressed. We fight again as he gets closer. Then we separate as our droids circle around another working in the lava. Good thing there's forcefields all on these droids or we'd both be dead. I've already been burned slightly in a few places and I'm sure Anakin is as well. _

_I realize something. I've been a very poor Master. If I had trained Anakin better, perhaps this would have never happened. I have failed him and I have caused that which has happened and that which may happen if Master Yoda and I don't stop it here and now! He's floating closer, I have to try again._

"I have failed you, Anakin. I have failed you."

"I should have known the Jedi were plotting to take over."

"Anakin, Chancellor Palpatine is evil!"

"From my point of view, the Jedi are evil!"

_That's it. That proves it. If he truly believes me and the entire Jedi order to be evil, the dark side has him completely and there's no coming back._

"Well then, you are lost!"

_We swing around again, and he begins to close in again. _

"This is the end for you, my Master. I wish it were otherwise."

"So do I, Anakin. So do I."

_We begin fighting again. I don't know how much longer I can keep this up. I'm not as young as I used to be, but he seems to have an endless amount. I glance over just long enough to see a ledge. If I can leap high and far enough..._

_Yes! I made it! I've the high ground. Anakin will have no choice other than to surrender, or to leave. _

"It's over, Anakin! I have the high ground."

He doesn't look too convinced.

"You underestimate my power!"

_No Anakin, don't be so arrogant. _ "Don't try it."

_Here he comes. Force, there's no talking reason to a Sith. But this is my only opportunity. I have to take him down now. I swing, and his left arm flies away followed by his legs. His trunk lands close to me and slides down the embankment, stopping only a foot or so away from the lava river._

_How that must have hurt. I can hear him groaning. But, did he take pain into consideration when he slaughtered the younglings in the Temple? I only wonder what Darth Sidious must have promised him if he turned on everyone. If he killed everyone and everything he ever knew or loved. Yes, I know I've won. But what a price to pay. Will the Jedi order ever recover? Will the Republic be restored? I look down on him. Why did you do this, Anakin? What made you do this?_

"You were the chosen one! It was said that you would destroy the sith, not join them! Bring balance to the Force, not leave it in darkness!"

_I start to walk away. I notice his lightsaber lying on the ground. Well Anakin won't have need for that anymore. Maybe his child could use it one day. Surely Anakin would want him to have it. The real Anakin, not what he is now. This sith apprentice that the Emperor has made out of Anakin and turned him into the monster Darth Vader that he is now. At least that threat is over. His eyes glow yellow, just as the Zabrak's did back on Naboo. He looks at me._

"**_I hate you!_**"

_That, more than anything else I think, completes the breaking of my heart. He was a son, a brother, a friend, and now look at him._

"You were my brother Anakin! I loved you!"

_An ember catches his clothes and he catches fire. I can hardly bear to watch and hear as he screams horribly in pain. What a way to die. But I suppose, no less fitting for he who would butcher children, then try to kill the mother of his own child when all she wanted to do was help him. I can't watch any more. I must leave. I will leave Anakin to his demons and I can only hope though that he will die quickly. I suppose I could go down and kill him. It would be merciful, but thinking of Padme, suddenly I don't feel so merciful right now._

_It takes a bit, but I get back to where we started. Artoo and Threepio have come down and are standing outside. Threepio approaches me._

"Master Kenobi, we have Miss Padme on board. Please, please, let us leave this dreadful place."

_I just pat him on the shoulder and walk up the ramp. I'll leave the flying to the droids. I go to check on Padme. She's lying on a cot. She stirs as I approach her._

"Obi-Wan," she says very weakly, "is Anakin all right?"

_Leave it to her to think of others when she's in this kind of situation. She needs to sleep. I relax her and allow her to fall asleep. Then I go to the cockpit, where Threepio already has us out of the atmosphere and heading into space. _

"Threepio, set course for Polis Massa."

"As you wish, Master Kenobi."

_I then pull into myself and try to meditate. But too much has happened. I need some time alone. Yes, that would help. _

...(some time later)

_We arrive at Polis Massa. I make contact immediately._

"Come in, Polis Massa mining station. Come in. We have an injured passenger and request immediate landing,"

_  
Nothing. What is keeping them? _

"Please respond. We require immediate medical assistance," 

"What is the nature of your emergency?" _ It was a droid. No living being has that kind of flat, metallic voice. _

"We have an injured pregnant woman on board. She's in grave danger. I fear for the survival of her child. Please, you must help us!"   
_  
There was a long pause on the other end of the com. Surely they won't deny us admittance! If they did, what will we do? Padmé will die long before we can reach the next nearby system with a medical facility. If both she and the child died…. The thought causes me physical pain and I actually wince._

They finally reply: "We will help, land at the designated docking bay."

"Thank you."

"Your name, please," _the droid stated in its flat tone. _  
_  
_"Uh...my name?" _What should I do? If I tell them my real name and the Empire is already here, it could mean severe trouble for the miners if they give me any aid or harbor. I can't risk that._

"It is required for our records. All visitors must be logged," _Of course, standard operating procedures. Yes, of course! I now know who I will be. _

"Yes. Of course, Ben. Ben Kenobi." 

"Thank you. All will be ready when you land."

_And I heard from them no more. Is this what the rest of my life will be like? Hiding and living under an assumed name? It's certainly not the live I've had as a Jedi Knight, a respected and honored protector of the Republic. But I guess those days are over now. The galaxy thinks of us as traitors, and if any others survived, if they show their faces, they'll likely be turned over to the Empire. Stars, I pray that this doesn't last too long. The people of the galaxy deserve their freedom and liberty. The sith will take it all away from them. Something must be done!_

_We land, and I carry poor Padme down the ramp. Stars, Bail Organa is already here! Perhaps Yoda is as well. He looks straight at us with horror._

"We'll take her to a medical facility! I'll go inform Yoda."

_I go with her and wait as the droid medics work on Padme and try to stabilize her condition. She has to live! If for nothing else, for the sake of her children. They need their mother, now more than ever! Yoda and Senator Organa arrive just in time for the droid medic to tell me what's happened._

_  
_"Medically, she's completely healthy. For reasons as yet unexplained, we are losing her."

_I can't believe it!_ "She's dying?"

"We don't know why. She has lost the will to live. We must operate quickly if we are to save the babies."

_Senator Organa looked stunned._ "Babies?"

"She's carrying twins."

_I don't know what to think. I tell the droids to get ready for surgery. But I have to collect myself for a moment. Padme is one of the strongest women I've ever met. For her to just up and give up like this is completely unlike her. Could Anakin's turn have ruined her mind? Maybe something he did when he was choking her? Somehow or another, for whatever reason, Padme is giving up. Doesn't she still realize she has children now? What will become of the children if she dies? I have to go in and be with her. _

_I stand next to her and hold her hand as she gives birth. The screams of pain and anguish coming from her are heartbreaking. The droid nursemaid finally looks up and gives me one of the children and I bring it to Padme._

"It's a boy."

_She weakly responds, _"Luke." _ I bring him closer to her. She touches his face. _ "Oh, Luke." _ I now know that no matter what, Padme does love her children. Before anything else can happen though, she starts screaming again as the nursemaid droid helps in the delivery of the second child. I hear the nursemaid droid in it's language announce her birth._

"It's a girl, Padme."

"Leia!" _I start to go get Leia and bring her to Padme, perhaps seeing her children will change her mind and she will want to live. But before I can...  
_  
"Obi-Wan?" _I have to turn and see what she wants to say. It could be the last chance..._

"There's good in him. I know. I know there's still..."

_Padme Naberrie Amidala Skywalker is no more. I fight back tears as she dies. I think the babies can sense her death in the Force because they both start loudly crying just as she dies. I look over and see Master Yoda with his head down. If I didn't know better, I'd think he was crying. I give the children to the nursemaid droids and walk up to Yoda and Senator Organa. What will happen now? What will happen to the children with their parents dead and the Emperor still out there?_

...(some time later, as the _Tantive IV_ approaches Naboo)...

_I sit in a briefing room with Master Yoda and Senator Organa. We've been discussing the recent events and I must ask about the children._

"Master, what about the children? What will we do with them?"

"Hidden, safe, the children must be kept. To still appear pregnant, Senator Amidala must." _Yoda always seems to have the answers. I guess I should have figured on that. Yoda always does seem to know what to do even when all hope seems lost. I now understand what he's thinking. If the Emperor should discover them..._

"We must take them somewhere where the sith won't sense their presence."

_Senator Organa spoke first._ "My wife and I will take the girl. We've always talked about adopting a baby girl. She will be loved with us."

_I nod, believing that would be a good idea. But..._"and what of the boy?" _ I ask Yoda._

"To Tatooine, to his family send him."

_I nod, and realize I could be useful in that capacity as well. _"I will take the child and watch over him. His aunt and uncle will do a good job of raising him. Perhaps I can play the part of the eccentric old uncle. I think I can do that well."

_Senator Organa stands and I stand with him. Master Yoda looks at him. _ "Until the time is right, disappear, we will." _Senator Organa nods and walks out, presumably to prepare Padmé's body for transfer over to her family. I don't think that even they should know their grandchildren live. If they did, they might insist on having them with their grandparents and I am sure that Naboo is the first place that Sidious would look. But Tatooine is far enough away that I can keep Luke safe and with Senator Organa raising Leia, she won't get any training and therefore her abilities may not be as easily noticeable. It's a risk, but we can't afford to keep them together. Yoda is right, keep them separated. If one is found, the other could still be a hope for the rest of the galaxy. I need to rest. I think I will go to..._

"Master Kenobi? Wait a moment." _Yoda needs to speak to me privately it seems. Well then that rest can wait._ "In your solitude on Tatooine, training I have for you."

_Now I'm rather puzzled..._"Training?"

"An old friend has returned from the netherworld of the Force. One who has learned the path to immortality. It is your old master."

_My old master? But that could only be..._"Qui-Gon? I will be able to talk to him?"

"Yes. How to commune with him, I will teach you."

_As Master Yoda begins to show me how to commune with Qui-Gon, I realize that this is the first bit of good news to happen in the last several days. If anyone can make sense out of the turmoil that the last week has been, it is Qui-Gon. I never dreamed I would be able to speak to him again, but I am so happy to hear and finally learn that I will be able to do so. _

...(some time later, on Tatooine)...

_Luke fidgets in my arms a bit. I shift and he goes right back to sleep. We were dropped off by Senator Organa just a few hours ago but I have already acquired an eeopie and some supplies and have been told of an abandoned house just a few miles from the Lars homestead, which is where we're heading now. Padmé's body was left on Naboo, adequately prepared for her to still look pregnant. Senator Organa told me that the funeral was the largest ever seen on Naboo. Padmé's family, Queen Apillanna, Boss Nass, and even Jar Jar Binks were in the procession. Senator Organa dropped us off and then will take Master Yoda to the Dagobah system where he will live until the time is correct for us to reappear. I get to the Lars' homestead and Anakin's sister-in-law, Beru, is waiting for us. I had contacted them before leaving the _Tantive IV_ and told them what had happened with Anakin and Padme and how they were both dead and how Luke needed them and would they raise him as theirs? Owen and Beru readily agreed to take Luke in. When I arrive, I only stay long enough to give Luke over to Beru and I watch as she walks over to Owen, who looks down on Luke and then stares into the sunsets. I watch for a moment, see that Luke is in good hands and I then leave. I have a home to go to and to get settled in. Perhaps after all that I have gone through in my life, this sort of peaceful retirement will end up being good for me. When I get there, I will speak to Qui-Gon and ask him to help me make sense of this whole situation. My master always knew what to say. I retreat toward my home, knowing that Luke and Leia are safe and therefore there is hope yet for the galaxy that the Sith may yet one day be defeated. That, above all else, gives me hope._

The End.


End file.
